Three years. With the outbreak of Covid-19, March 2020 began a brief but impactful shutdown in nearly every sector of public life. The result was a dramatic and sudden increase in the need for community outreach and support. The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida responded to this need by establishing the Mercy Fund, benefitting Catholic Charities of Central Florida. With this fund, we have been able to provide food, maintaining stock in the agape mission markets and food pantries; behavior health to provide counseling and care throughout the community; rent and utility assistance for those with sudden unemployment or reduced job stability; other aid including prescriptions, gasoline, and sanitary supply assistance. The Mercy Fund was created when the Foundation Board of Directors decided to invest $35,000 from the Foundation’s Endowment to start the fund.
In fairly short order, the community was able to return to a limited “new normal” following social distancing and other health and safety guidelines. The first Covid vaccines were developed and distributed to those among the highest risk. But while Covid awareness and impacts have waned some, the pandemic is still with us today, as well as the localized need for some of the support the Mercy Fund provides. If you’d like to help those most in need and at risk in our community, please consider a donation to the Mercy Fund benefitting Catholic Charities of Central Florida today: Mercy Fund – Catholic Foundation of Central Florida (cfocf.org)